Lock ring for electrical connectors



Aug, 1958 A. JACKSON ETAL 2,848,702

LOCK RING FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Filed July 13, 1954 .Ticii-INVENTORS ANTON JACKSON B DRIS A JACKSON ATTORNEY United States Patent2,848,702 LOCK RING FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Anton Jackson, QueensVillage, and Boris A. Jackson, Valley Stream, N. Y.

Application July 13, 1954, Serial No. 442,942 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-90) Thisinvention deals with electrical connectors. More particularly, theinvention deals with a lock ring construction for retaining connectorsof the kind under consideration in coupled relationship to each other.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from thefollowing description, when taken together with the accompanyingdrawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosedand, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable referencecharacters in each of the views and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a broken side'view showing inner parts only of two electricalconnectors with our improved lock ring supporting the same in coupledrelationship, part of the lock ring structure being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1,showing only part of the terminals of one of the connectors.

Fig. 3 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 3 of Fig. 1 andomitting parts of the structure.

Fig. 4 is a partial side and sectional view, the section beingsubstantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and indieating a more completepart of the connector assemblage.

Fig. 5 is a side edge detailed view of the lock ring detached; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the ring looking in the direction of the arrow6 of Fig. 5.

This invention deals with electrical connectors, generally of the typeand kind disclosed in Patent Number 2,633,482, granted March 31, 1953,and-more particularly to a novel lock ring construction employed forsecuring electrical connectors in coupled relationship to each other.Connectors of the type and kind under consideration have male and femalecoupling cores, parts of which are diagrammaticaly shown at 10 and 11 inFig. 1 of the drawing, these cores having, at their inner adjacent ends,hexagonal heads 12 and 13, respectively, and, at their outer ends,terminals, indicated in part, at 14 and 15, with which electric wiresare soldered or otherwise coupled.

The cores or bodies 10 and 11 are formed of plastic material and thehexagonal heads are provided with rounded protruding, alining portions16 and 17 to gauge or index alinement of the connectors one with respectto the other.

In the showing in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the associated parts of theconnectors are omitted for sake of clarity. However, in Fig. 4 of thedrawing, we have indicated, in part, the associated portions of theconnectors, for example, the plastic sleeve 18 in threaded engagementwith the core 10, which serves to hold one part 19 of the lock ringconstruction in firm engagement with the hexagon head 12. The part 19 isin the form of a ringtype disc having oppositely bowed sides 20 to givespring properties thereto in securely positioning the part 19 on thecore 10 while, at the same time, permitting rotation of the part 19 incoupling and uncoupling the connectors. The part 19 also includes, atright angles to the bowed springs 20, extending plate portions 21, whichoverlie and are in wide spaced relationship to the hexagon heads 12, asclearly noted in Fig. 3, and these plate portions have inwardlyextending flanges 22, having centrally thereof offset beads 23, the samebeing offset in the direction of the body portion of the part 19.

Again referring to Fig. 4 of the drawing, it will appear that a lockring 24 is arranged on the core 11 and a nut 25 is employed to mount theconnector upon a panel 26, the panel having a large aperture 27 toreceive the part 11 of the connector and, adjacent the aperture 27, is asmaller key aperture 28, which is adapted to receive a key part, orelement, 29 on a lock ring 30 in keying the connector against rotationon the panel in the operation of securing the same in position.

The part or element 29 is in the form of an ofiset flange on the ring30, note Figs. 5 and 6, and the ring, at opposite sides of the element29, has other ofi'set flanges 31 extending to the other side surface ofthe ring, the latter forming key elements disposed at opposite sides ofthe knobs or projections 16 and 17, as clearly noted in Fig. 1 of thedrawing, so as to key the ring 30 against rotation with respect to thehead 13. It will appear, however, that the flanges or key elements 31are so positioned radially of the ring as to clear. the high points 13'of the hexagon head 13. In other words, if the projecting knobs 17 wereremoved, the ring 30 would be free to rotate around the head 13. Thering 30 has, at opposed sides thereof, offset portions 32, which includeangularly disposed L-shaped lock fingers 33 having inwardly extendingprojections 34 which joint the free ends of the fingers in bevelled wallportions 35, as clearly noted in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

It will be apparent that the ring part 19 is made of spring metal and,in the operation ofcoupling the connectors together or locking the sameagainst separation, the connectors are first positioned together withthe plate portions 21 in spaced relationship with respect to the fingers33, after which the ring part 19 is rotated and, in this operation, theflange 22 will pass over the bevelled wall portions 35 of the fingers 33and spring the flange 22 outwardly in passage of the bead 23 over theprojections 34, whereupon, the bead 23 will spring inwardly, engagingthe inner end 36 of the projection, as clearly shown in Fig. l of thedrawing, to definitely retain the connectors in assembled relationshipto each other. In detaching the connectors, the ring part 19 is rotatedin the opposite direction until it frees the arms 33, whereupon theconnectors may be separated.

With our improved construction, a very simple and yet, positivelyfunctioning means is provided for retaining connectors in assembledrelationship to each other. At the same time, positive means is providedfor alinement of the connectors one with respect to the other to assureproper positioning of the circuits.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

A lock ring for connectors of the character described, comprising aring-like body having opposed offset portions said offset portionsincluding angularly extending L-shaped arms directed in opposeddirections to each other, ends of said arms having inwardly enlargedportions including outer bevelled walls, the periphery of the ringintermediate said arms having a pair of angularly extending spacedflanges extending in the same direction from the ring as said arms, andsaid ring, intermediate said flanges, having an angularly projecting keypart extending in the opposite direction from said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,639,125 Benjamin Aug. 16, 1927 2,633,482 De Tar Mar. 31, 19532,642,474 Bowar June 16, 1953 2,715,213 Barbour Aug. 9, 1955

